Marine 2-1 City of Liverpool
by James Nalton
at Rossett Park

A CROWD of 1,311 supporters witnessed a Merseyside derby on Saturday when Marine defeated City of Liverpool in Crosby.

A brace from Ryan Wignall was enough to give the Mariners the win, but a late own goal made the result less routine than it should have been for the home side.

City of Liverpool fans filled the Corsender Road end of the ground, giving this game a competitive feel in the stands, even if the same wasn’t always evident on the pitch.

Numerous CoLFC flags adorned the back wall of the stand, and most supporters remained in good spirits despite the defeat.

There were some disappointing moments for followers of the Purps throughout the game, especially as both Marine goals were scored at that end of the ground, but perhaps the most upsetting came when a stray shot was fired into the away end, knocking over a two-pint cup of lager.

As those who saw Marine in action here against Tottenham in the FA Cup last season will know, the ground is sandwiched tightly between rows of houses, and the count of balls knocked over the fence into the back gardens on Rossett Road on Saturday must have been approaching double figures by the end of the game. 

It gives an idea as to the sometimes scrappy and out-of-control nature of the match.

This, along with good displays from goalkeeper Danny Taberner and centre-back Tom Morris, helped CoLFC remain in contention until the end.

An own-goal scored by Marine’s former Liverpool defender David Raven made the scores 2-1 and led to a tense last 20 minutes for the home fans, who worried they might not take the three points their dominance deserved.

CoLFC went down to ten when Jay Edgar was sent off for a second bookable offence, but substitute Xenon Bahula continued to pose a threat to the Marine defence.

Marine held on for the win, though, and it takes them up to third in the Northern Premier League Division One West with a game in hand on leaders Mossley.